This year commemorates the 70th anniversary of when Beaver County’s first radio station, WBVP, was heard over the airwaves for the the first time on May 25, 1948.  To mark the historical event, each week, another “70th Anniversary Moment” will be showcased on the airwaves and published on the station’s online feeds.

Through the years, many famous bands have been a part of WBVP, WMBA and sister F.M. radio station, WWKS.  National acts like Tiny Tim, Tony Bennett,  Motely Crue and Great white have been live on the air in the Beaver Falls studio.  Many local bands have also enjoyed having their music air on the stations, or have been interviewed, like B.E. Taylor, Donnie Iris, The Granati Brothers, Sidewinder, Dawn Savage and The Neon Oranges, among many others, but the band that perhaps has had the longest and deepest relationship with the radio stations over the years is The Jaggerz.

In March of 1970, The Jaggerz ‘ hit song “The Rapper” spent 6  weeks on the Billboard Magazine top 10 list. It was one of three songs released  by the group to crack Billboard’s top 100.  The original group consisted of Jimmy Ross, Benny Faiella, Jim Pugliano, Donnie Iris, Thom Davies and Bill Maybray.  They were all from in and around Beaver County.

So, it only makes sense that in June of 1968, it was while listening to WBVP and driving through Beaver Falls, that the Jaggerz heard themselves for the first time being played on the radio.  Jimmy Ross remembers the day well. “We had just recorded ‘Baby I Love You’ in Philadelphia, and on that day.  Bill Maybray and I  were driving up 7th avenue in Beaver Falls in a 1959 Chevrolet Biscayne sedan.  We were heading to a rehearsal at Club Naturale and the song came on the radio.  We pulled over to the side of the road to listen.  It was the first time that we ever heard one of our songs on the radio”.   Club Naturale was a popular bar and nightclub that was located at the corner of 7th Avenue and 9th street in downtown Beaver Falls.  A few years ago, the building was razed and an empty, grassy lot is now on that corner.

In 1973, Jimmy Ross and Donnie Iris joined WBVP show host Tony Scott, also know as Sam Nicotero, in the studio and presented him and the station with plaques to honor the station for being supportive of the band and its music.  One of the plaques is still on display in the station offices at 1316 7th Avenue in Beaver Falls.

The tradition will continue this May, as The Jaggerz, now comprised of Ross, Faiella, Hermie Granati, Dennis McAbee, Paul Martello and Chris Patarini, will perform at the WBVP 70th Anniversary Gala to be held on May 25, 2018 in the Grand Ballroom of the General Brodhead Hotel in Beaver Falls.

“70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by  Albert’s Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, Aliquippa Giant Eagle, The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, Beaver Valley Auto Mall, Beaver Valley Sheet Metal, Castlebrook Development, Freedom United Federal Credit Union, Hank’s Frozen Custard and Mexican Food,  Laughlin Insurance Agency and Rochester Manor and Villa.

This year commemorates the 70th anniversary of when Beaver County’s first radio station, WBVP, was heard over the airwaves for the the first time on May 25, 1948.  To mark the historical event, each week, another “70th Anniversary Moment” will be showcased on the airwaves and published on the station’s online feeds.

In April of 1984, WMBA General Manager, Diane Brown,  was looking to hire a new talk show host for the Ambridge radio station and ended up starting a talk show career that lasted nearly thirty years when she gave the job to Rick Bergman.  The host at the time of “Air Your Opinion”,  Barb Trehar, had recently moved on to work at KDKA radio in Pittsburgh.

Stepping in to host “Air Your Opinion” as one’s first radio gig  on WMBA in that era was no small task.  The show was very popular and was a staple of the WMBA line up going all the way back to the station’s  start up in 1957.  Bergman was following a group of very talented and beloved hosts that had previously held court during the 9 A.M. to Noon time slot including Roy Angst, Nick DeSantis and Trehar.  Bergman, however, was up to task.  He blended an easy going, subdued style with a very quick wit and well read intelligence that was quite unique.  Bergman also offered a more liberal perspective on many social issues up for discussion on the airwaves and became a hit among many listeners.

In 1984, WMBA featured a line up that included Stan Presbysz serving as morning show host and Program Director.   Bergman then did “Air Your Opinion” from nine until noon.  Bob Conrad aired a news program during the noon hour.  Jaye Phillips and Debbie Smith hosted the popular “Yankee Trader” show from 1 until 3 P.M.  followed by a music show that aired until station sign off at dusk.

Rick Bergman did so well that he grabbed the attention of the competitors to the north in 1988, when WBVP and WWKS station owner, Ted Ruscitti, summonsed Bergman to meet him at the Sewickley Holiday Inn for a lunch meeting.  Bergman was hired and began a daily show called “Afternoon Talk” that aired on WBVP from noon until 7 P.M. The program featured a couple  of extended news blocks and live feeds from Channel 11, WPXI T.V. in Pittsburgh.

In addition to the attention received  from WBVP,  Rick Bergman had also shown up on the radar screen of executives  at KDKA radio and he was hired on at that station in 1987.  Bergman did part time work there as a weekend talk show host until 2013.

After leaving WBVP in 1993, Rick Bergman put his intellectual capacity to work and started a career as a public school teacher, where he continues to work to this day.

One of Bergman’s most cherished memories of working at WBVP and WMBA happened in the spring of 1986 when he received a press invitation to attend a press luncheon with President Ronald Reagan at the White House while working at WMBA.  As luck would have it, Reagan  opened up the forum for questions that day.  Rick hesitated at first, but after hearing another media representative quiz the president about the Iran Contra Affair, he got up the nerve to ask a question as well on the same subject.  Even though Bergman had hosted a daily talk show and had talked to thousands of people over the airwaves, this was different.  cameras could be heard in the background whirring away as he began to voice his question.  The eyes of Ronald Reagan bore down through his soul as the President’s  attention, along with everyone else’s in the room focused on Bergman’s query.  As Bergman tells the story, he nearly fainted, but did eventually ask a question and the President responded, but can’t remember much more.  The following day, a small reference to Bergman’s question and Reagan’s response was reported in a USA  Today follow up story about the press luncheon.

“70th Anniversary Moments” is presented by  Albert’s Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, Aliquippa Giant Eagle, The Beaver Falls Municipal Authority, Beaver Valley Auto Mall, Beaver Valley Sheet Metal, Castlebrook Development, Freedom United Federal Credit Union, Hank’s Frozen Custard and Mexican Food,  Laughlin Insurance Agency and Rochester Manor and Villa.